Boris

[Chuffy]

Being born into wealth is, as far as I can see, not mutually exclusive to having intelligence and ability.

No, but it isn't it funny how people who's parents had the money seem to find their way into positions like, to pick a few random examples, Mayor of London and Leader of the Tory party? And have done for generations.

From the Independent on Sunday:- "Altogether, 14 of Cameron's front bench spokesmen are old Etonians. Another three work in his private office."
Rest of article here.
Money. Buys. Privilege. And the biggest privilege is power.
But you don't see this as a problem, obviously.

 

[Danny]

We are often told by Londoners that the city is stuffed full of wealth making go-getters who keep the other 52 million of us in food, clothing and housing. It's amazing that a city populated by millions of high income achievers ever had a Labour mayor. A Tory one seems much more appropriate.

A minority of London's population are high income earners - many of whom were basically just born into rich families like Boris Johnson and David Cameron.

However London has a much larger population of people who are living on low wages and locked into poverty.

Ken was at least doing something to try and redress this - for example by insisting that contractors employed by the Greater London Authority pay their staff well above the minimum; by using the investment in the Olympics as a way of regenerating the East End; and by providing cheap and much more reliable public transport.

 

[simoncc]

A minority of London's population are high income earners - many of whom were basically just born into rich families like Boris Johnson and David Cameron.

However London has a much larger population of people who are living on low wages and locked into poverty.

Ken was at least doing something to try and redress this - for example by insisting that contractors employed by the Greater London Authority pay their staff well above the minimum; by using the investment in the Olympics as a way of regenerating the East End; and by providing cheap and much more reliable public transport.

Hopefully Boris can run London more cheaply. Apart from those relatively few high earners, the company profits they earn and the tax they pay the city and most of its inhabitants are a financial drain on the rest of the country. For example the spiralling costs of the Olympics are to be bailed out by the taxpayer, and that's every taxpayer, not just those in London. Maybe it's not too late to ditch them.

 

[Keith Oates]

The Olympics are mainly based in London but it's for the whole nation to enjoy and be proud of, as is the case in China!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Smokin Joe]

The Olympics are mainly based in London but it's for the whole nation to enjoy and be proud of, as is the case in China!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Simon has got that one right. It is for the whole nation to pay for. 99% of us will watch it on tv anyway, who cares which country squanders billions on it?

 

[Andy in Sig]

No, but it isn't it funny how people who's parents had the money seem to find their way into positions like, to pick a few random examples, Mayor of London and Leader of the Tory party? And have done for generations.

From the Independent on Sunday:- "Altogether, 14 of Cameron's front bench spokesmen are old Etonians. Another three work in his private office."
Rest of article here.
Money. Buys. Privilege. And the biggest privilege is power.
But you don't see this as a problem, obviously.

That doesn't quite hold water, does it? Becoming Mayor of London isn't a matter of acquiring privelege, it is rather one of getting elected! Ditto being a front bench spokesman for a political party. And it is surely hardly any surprise that there is a disproportionate number of public schoolboys in the Conservative Party!

You might do your argument more good if you quoted examples of people getting into public office where open competition for the posts is supposed to have taken place. The fact that you picked two wildly unsuitable examples makes me think you are simply knee jerking against the election of Boris by members of the public who are as familiar with his background as you are and yet still elected him. It would seem he can't win against snobbery and bigotry. Had he been shoe horned in, like Gordon Brown into the PM's slot, you might have a case

 

[Norv]

I'm with Chuffy 100% here.
Borris is a ****ing clown and I can't believe the people of London fell for him. This is an insult to everything Ken has achieved. The way Ken's handled it has been nothing short of honourable. He said something along the lines of (and I quote from memory) "I do not blame Brown or anyone else for this. I was the one standing so I take full responsibility." Fair play to the man.

 

[Saddle bum]

Once BoJo has dismantled Ken’s Politburo and replaced the lower level Apparatchiks with people who have some experience of business, we will be able to see what he can do.

Ridding the Capital of PC gurus, who monitor every communication for leftish political purity will be a good start. London belongs to the people who live there, not a cabal of micro-intellects, whose vision of life is one where they remain in control for ever.

Hopefully this is where Socialism and its limpet-like followers are tipped into the dustbin of history, just like their close cousins, the Nazis.

Brown must be thinking, "The people have spoken - the bastards".

 

[Chuffy]

That doesn't quite hold water, does it? Becoming Mayor of London isn't a matter of acquiring privelege, it is rather one of getting elected! Ditto being a front bench spokesman for a political party. And it is surely hardly any surprise that there is a disproportionate number of public schoolboys in the Conservative Party!

You might do your argument more good if you quoted examples of people getting into public office where open competition for the posts is supposed to have taken place. The fact that you picked two wildly unsuitable examples makes me think you are simply knee jerking against the election of Boris by members of the public who are as familiar with his background as you are and yet still elected him. It would seem he can't win against snobbery and bigotry. Had he been shoe horned in, like Gordon Brown into the PM's slot, you might have a case

I never thought I'd have to describe you as naive Andy, but there's a first time for everything.

 

[Chuffy]

Brown must be thinking, "The people have spoken - the bastards".

I wonder what you were thinking when Labour and Ken were elected, hmmm?

 

[LLB]

I wonder what you were thinking when Labour and Ken were elected, hmmm?

Another bunch of self serving tossers looking for new ways to screw the general public and get fat in the process

They should have taken heed of how Neil Pillock and his good queen lined their nest when they got into the European parliament

 

[Twenty Inch]

Bojo is an idiot in the same way as Dubya is an idiot. They both put on their respective personas very well, but they are both very clearly ambitious and ruthless. It'll be interesting to see how London is in a few years' time, and how the balance of wealth and power shifts.

Personally, I'm frickin' disgusted. The one part of the Labour programme that seemed to be working...

 

[LLB]

Bojo is an idiot in the same way as Dubya is an idiot. They both put on their respective personas very well, but they are both very clearly ambitious and ruthless. It'll be interesting to see how London is in a few years' time, and how the balance of wealth and power shifts.

Personally, I'm frickin' disgusted. The one part of the Labour programme that seemed to be working...

He will change very little. Labour has taken the political hit and the people are paying hansomely for it.

It is the beginning of the end for Labour. They got so frigging greedy with their ambitious spending plans, they have alienated the whole country when the belt needed to be tightened

Labour is going to have to make some very tough choices over the next few months which the tories would have to take anyway, but the tories are happy for labour to take the full hit and then jump in afterwards when labour become the pariahs in the public eye.

Tony Blair was no mug, his nest is now nicely feathered

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Personally, I'm frickin' disgusted. The one part of the Labour programme that seemed to be working...

............slipping large amounts of public money to his cronies.

 

[Aperitif]

Let's not forget that Mayor Johnson now gets to attend the Bejing Olympic 'bash' (sic) as receiving dignitary for 2012. Or will there be a reason not to..?

I'm sure Mr Livingstone did would have fancied himself in one of those massive peaked chinese army hats...